[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default”][vc_column_text]Anyone with a disorder or condition like sensory dysphasia that makes speech communication and understanding more difficult may need specialized home healthcare services. In particular, EEOICPA/RECA beneficiaries who are dealing with other serious health conditions can find those conditions exacerbated by sensory dysphasia, which can make it difficult or even impossible to understand simple tasks like how to properly take medications or how to handle activities of daily living. United Energy Workers Healthcare and Four Corners Health Care may be able to provide home health services to EEOICPA/RECA beneficiaries with no additional costs.
If you or someone you love suffers from sensory dysphasia, it is important to learn more about this condition and how it can impact the daily life of a person who has been diagnosed with it.
What is Sensory Dysphasia?
Patients who suffer from sensory dysphasia often have great difficulty understanding speech and often have disorganized speech. Unlike other types of dysphasia, sensory dysphasia frequently is caused by damage to or a lesion on the dominant temporoparietal cortex, also known as Wernicke’s area. As Boatman (2000) explains in the journal Brain, this condition often is known as sensory aphasia, and in some cases the condition is described as transcortical sensory aphasia (TSA), based on the affected area of the brain. More precisely, this condition “is characterized by impaired auditory comprehension with intact repetition and fluent speech.” A person who has sensory dysphasia usually is able to read words and understand written language, but may have extreme difficulty comprehending spoken language.
What is Wernicke’s area? This is a part of the brain that is responsible for language development. It is on the left side of the brain in the temporal lobe. Given that it is responsible for language development, it also is responsible for a person’s speech comprehension development. It is closely related to Broca’s area, which is a particular area of the brain that concerns speech production.
What is the Relationship Between Sensory Dysphasia and Other Types of Dysphasia?
Dysphasia in general is a condition that affects a person’s ability to understand language. With most types of dysphasia, the condition impacts someone’s ability to communicate verbally, yet in some cases dysphasia also can limit a person’s ability to understand written language or to read written language, according to Healthline.
There are numerous types of dysphasia, and they can have different causes. In some cases, dysphasia is genetic and results from specific genetic conditions. In other cases, a person will experience developmental dysphasia. Sensory dysphasia, like deep dysphasia, often results from a specific harm or injury in the brain. It is extremely important to obtain a proper diagnosis to ensure that the condition actually is dysphasia. Sometimes different types of dysphasia are mistaken for speech disorders when in fact dysphasia is a language disorder.
As Healthline clarifies, dysphasia is characterized by situations where “the areas of the brain responsible for turning thoughts into spoken language are damaged and can’t function properly.” Depending upon the specific type of dysphasia, the condition can affect a patient’s ability to understand oral communication or to communicate orally themselves.
Sensory Dysphasia vs. Sensory Aphasia: Is There a Difference?
We explained above that sensory dysphasia also can be known as sensory aphasia. Is there a distinction between dysphasia and aphasia? As Healthline explains, while these two terms do refer to a distinction in the severity of the impairment, they frequently are used interchangeably. In more precise terms, dysphasia “involves moderate language impairments,” while aphasia “is more severe, and involves a complete loss of speech and comprehension abilities.”
In general, you are likely to see the terms used interchangeably. They may be used differently based on geographic location.
Learning the Symptoms of Sensory Dysphasia
Sensory dysphasia often has specific symptoms in people who have been diagnosed with this condition, including but not limited to the following:
- Cannot understand what has been said orally or verbally;
- Cannot respond to verbal commands;
- Does not recognize his or her own difficulties in understanding oral speech; and
- Speech itself (from the patient) is fluent, but it may lack content or be disorganized.
Learning More About Home Health Services
A patient with sensory dysphasia can have significant difficulty following verbal instructions from healthcare providers and family caregivers. As such, it is often beneficial to have home health services to assist with the medical needs and activities of daily living for a person suffering from sensory dysphasia. With United Energy Workers Healthcare, EEOICPA and RECA beneficiaries may be eligible to receive no cost health services at home. One of our representatives can speak with you today about options that may be available. Contact United Energy Workers Healthcare to learn more about how we may be able to assist you.
Sources
Boatman, D. et al. (2000). “Transcortical Sensory Aphasia: Revisited and Revised.” Brain, Volume 123, pp. 1634-1642. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10908193[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]